New York Yankees All The Time !

Month: August 2016

Yankees prospect Dillon Tate after he was drafted by the Rangers in 2015.

By Brendan Kuty

KANSAS CITY —Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Dillon Tate was “an asset in distress” when he acquired the pitching prospect and other youngsters in return for All-Star right fielder Carlos Beltran before the trade deadline.

Tate’s fastball had been stuck in the low-90s while struggling at Low-A Hickory, where the 2015 No. 4 pick had a 5.12 ERA in 17 games, including 16 starts.

Tate has pitched in five games out of the bullpen at Charleston, posting a 2.84 ERA but also a .340 opponent batting average. He last pitched a scoreless two innings on Thursday.

The Yankees moved him to the bullpen, Cashman said, to help him take things more slowly with his development. They also sent minor league pitching coordinator Danny Borrell to Charleston to work with him.

Tate also throws a slider. The UC Santa Barbara product first showed big-time potential as a reliever as a sophomore. He moved to the rotation in his junior season and, according to MLB.com, became the top pitching prospect in the 2015 draft.

The Pirates have announced that Tito Polo and Stephen Tarpley are the players to be named later they’re sending to the Yankees in the Ivan Nova deal.

This looks, to me, like a surprisingly steep price for the Pirates to have paid. There’s little doubt that Nova has pitched brilliantly since the Pirates acquired him, but theparameters of a player-to-be-named portion of a trade (if not the players themselves) are typically worked out when the trade is negotiated. At the time of the deal, Nova was a rental starter with a 4.90 ERA and a mediocre overall track record. (He had clear potential to perform better in PNC Park and in the NL, but still.) Often, players to be named later turn out to be mediocrities, and I assumed that would be the case in this deal. Polo and Tarpley are both real prospects — not great ones, necessarily, but real prospects nonetheless.

Polo had a breakout half-season with West Virginia this year, batting .302/.368/.551 there before moving up to Bradenton and struggling to hit for power. He’s held his own there, though, posting a reasonable .351 on-base percentage, and he’s very young, so his .346 slugging percentage shouldn’t be held too strongly against him. There’s a decent chance he turns out to be a useful big-leaguer, particularly since he can run — he has 37 steals this season, although he’s been caught 17 times.

Tarpley was one of the pitchers the Bucs acquired a couple years back in the Travis Snider deal. Like Polo, Tarpley performed well with West Virginia but has struggled at Bradenton, with a 4.32 ERA, 8.1 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 this season. He gets some ground balls, has decent stuff, and has at least three usable pitches, though, so he still looks like a decent starting pitching prospect.

On results, of course, this deal is fine. What Nova has been to the Pirates is worth two good-not-great prospects. But Nova only started pitching well when he arrived in Pittsburgh, and the Bucs shouldn’t have had to pay a premium to get him. It’s still a good trade, and still better than I gave it credit for being at the time, but only because of the magic the Pirates have been able to work with pitchers. This was a lot to give up for a rental of a No. 5-starter type, which is what Nova was at the time of the deal.

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman addresses the media during a press conference announcing the retirement of designated hitter Alex Rodriguez prior to the game between the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Rodriguez will play his last game on Friday August 12, 2016.

Entering play on August 29, the Yankees sat at 67-62 and within 3.5 games of an American League wild card spot. While that record and positioning left six teams (Red Sox, Orioles, Tigers, Astros, Royals, Mariners) between New York and the top AL wild card spot, sitting in the back seat might actually be an advantage for the next few days.

With the waiver trade deadline coming up on Wednesday, the Yankees would have the ability to claim a player on waivers (and either workout a deal or simply assume the player from the team) or block any team better then them in the standings from doing the same.

According to Buster Olney of ESPN (insider subscription), the Yankees have been ‘aggressive’ on the waiver wire. Specifically, Olney cites the Yankees making things difficult on the Orioles. If Baltimore wants to work out a deal—something they’ve been known to do around this time in recent years—the Yankees are going to have something to say about it.

While it seems hard to believe that the Yankees would sell now that the race has tightened up so much, catcher Brian McCann did clear waivers earlier this month and could be dealt.

Newman, then the head of the Yankees‘ farm system, was at its training complex in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic. He was with a few youngsters the team was working out. They were playing a game: Hit a home run to right field, center and then left.

“We didn’t have many other kids do that,” Newman said via phone interview on Saturday.

Now 23, Major League Baseball doesn’t have many — or really any — other players doing what Sanchez is right now.

Sanchez went 2-for-4 in Sunday’s 5-0 loss to the Orioles at Yankee Stadium to up his batting average to .405 in 22 games this season. When he hit his 11th career homer (and of the season) on Saturday, he became the fastest player in history to reach the mark. He’s also got eight doubles, 21 RBI and a 1.361 OPS.

Newman and general manager Brian Cashman vividly remember scouting, working out and signing Sanchez to a $3 million bonus in 2009.

At the time, Sanchez was far from an unknown.

“He worked out for everybody,” Cashman said.

But the Yankees dug deep on him.

Newman said every single one of the Yankees’ scouts in the Dominican had seen Sanchez, big with broad shoulders an arm maybe as strong as it is today. International player development executives Donny Rowland and Gordon Blakeley, now a Braves special assistant to the GM, and the organization’s lead Dominican scout Victor Mata each pushed Newman and Cashman to commit to Sanchez.

There was plenty to like.

“Gary was a special player,” said Newman, who retired before the 2015 season. Gary Denbo has since taken over as the organization’s player development leader.

“He had such a good arm for a 15-year-old,” Newman said. “He could catch the ball. He wasn’t a technically solid catcher back then, but his hands were fine. His arm was a plus. The power was a plus. His bat — he had solid hitting ability.”

Despite a lack of formal education, Newman said, he knew Sanchez was bright.

“(Sanchez) had kind of a tough background,” he said. “But he was intuitive about the game. And he was kind of like he is now: quiet, kind of emotionally controlled, even though he’s probably run through some emotions he probably hasn’t experienced before over the last month.”

Another big plus: Sanchez’s bat was a rarity at his position. It’s what separated him from Miguel Sano, whom the Yankees also courted at the time. Sano ended up getting $3.1 million from Minnesota.

“It was his position,” Newman said. “Sano was a third baseman at the time. Gary was a catcher. Gary is still a catcher. Sano has played some third base, but he’s also been a DH and in the outfield.”

In February of 2009, Cashman flew to the D.R. to see a 15-year-old Sanchez up close. He remembers the workout well.

“He looked like a college catcher,” Cashman said, “someone you’d see at Arizona State.”

The workout was at 10 a.m., Cashman said. At 1 p.m., Sanchez walked over to the Mets’ complex — a short distance from the Yankees’ — and worked out for them, too.

“I wished he wasn’t doing that but he was doing that for everybody,” Cashman said. “The price tag was high.”

But by then, the Yankees were already convinced.

“We had lived through the Jorge Posada years,” Cashman said, referring to the Core Four catcher who was one of the best hitters at his position. “There are very few offensive-complimentary catchers — if you get to the majors as a catcher, you can already defend. Obviously the bat wasn’t a question. All that led us to believe he could, with a lot of hard work, be a special player for us.”

Newman said he believes that Sanchez’s hard work won’t stop despite his success.

“He wants to be a good player,” Newman said. “He really, really wants to be a good player.”

And while Joe Girardi has become fond of pointing out that not every rookie is Gary Sanchez, Judge’s recent dropoff has been steep.

In his last seven games — keeping in mind he’s appeared in a total of 10 in his major league career — Judge is 3-for-26. Perhaps most alarmingly, he’s struck out 13 times in that stretch, while walking only twice. And of those three hits, none was for extra bases.

“It’s no secret he’s vulnerable to breaking balls, and teams are making the adjustments he’s forced them to make,” the scout said. “This would be expected from any rookie, especially one that’s been inconsistent in the past. He’s a confident kid and always come out of these things before, so I think he will again.”

On Sunday, Judge had three strikeouts for the first time, but still managed to see a team-high 22 pitches, impressing Girardi with his patience.

Having Sanchez around isn’t just helping the Yankees on the field. It’s also helping business.

Sanchez’s home run binge began in earnest toward the end of the most recent homestand, when he homered four times in the last four games before the Yankees went to the West Coast.

He returns with nine home runs and as the focal point of the New York sports world.

Perhaps that’s why tickets for Friday’s series opener against Baltimore are listed at an average of $126.78, the highest for a game since Alex Rodriguez’s finale on Aug. 12, according to TiqIQ, a company that monitors the secondary ticket market.

Only the series against the Red Sox at the end of September has higher prices.

The Yankees will again turn to unheralded rookie Luis Cessa to take the mound in an important game on Friday, and they hope he can deliver as well as he did his last time out against the Angels in his first major league start.

The good news for Aaron Hicks? He went 7-for-14 with a walk on the recent road trip. Unfortunately for the Yankees, all seven of those hits were singles and he didn’t drive in any runs. Still, he’s gotten his OPS up to .597, the highest it’s been since late June.

While Dellin Betances has been more than adequate in the closer role, the idea of reuniting Chapman and Betances in a dominant bullpen duo has to be at least an intriguing idea for the Yankees.

On Thursday, Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball outlined the dollar range it would take to land the soon-to-be free agent when the market opens for business in November: More than $50 million over four years.

The reason? That figure still remains the biggest contract given out to a closer. According to Heyman, Chapman wants to beat it:

Especially now that Andrew Miller has been traded, Aroldis Chapman could be a candidate to return. Chapman is expected to seek to beat Jonathan Papelbon’s record $50-million, four-year contract for a closer.

Based on his ability, stuff, and performance both in 2016 (1.84 ERA) and since debuting in 2010 (2.13 ERA, 15.1 SO/9), Chapman is a good bet to be the closer that gets it.

Chapman, 28, has pitched to a 1.42 ERA since joining the Cubs.

When the Yankees take a look at the upcoming free-agent class (and the dearth of starting pitchers available), the idea of once again starting a season with a deep, dominant bullpen could make more sense than spending on mediocre starting pitching.

With Mark Teixeira’s contract set to come off the books, the Yankees currently only have $127.7 million on the books for 2017. As the team goes young, there will be ample room to spend—perhaps even on a record-setting deal for a relief pitcher.

The Yankees just wrapped up a successful six-game West Coast trip that still somehow feels like a bit of a letdown. I guess because the two losses were close games that were very winnable. The Yankees are five games back of the Orioles for the second wildcard spot, and wouldn’t you know it, six of their next nine games are against Baltimore. This upcoming stretch is: crucial. I have some thoughts.

1. I’m a bit surprised the Yankees didn’t shuffle their rotation to ensure Masahiro Tanaka faces the O’s in these next two series. They would have needed to use a sixth starter at some point during the road trip, and again at some point during the series in Kansas City next week. Then again, the Yankees have an off-day today and again next Thursday, which really would have spaced out Tanaka’s starts. He’s been better on extra rest this year, no doubt about it, but there is such a thing as too much rest too. I don’t blame them for starting Tanaka as often as possible. They need all the wins they can get. It just seemed lining him up against the O’s would have been a good idea. Right now he’s not scheduled to face them at all.

2. Beyond all the dingers, I’ve been really impressed by Gary Sanchez‘s overall approach at the plate. All the scouting reports through the years said he has a good approach, and for whatever reason “good approach” has become synonymous with “high walk rate.” That’s never been Sanchez though. He had a 7.9% walk rate in the minors and he’s drawn six unintentional walks in 80 big league plate appearances this year. We have seen that good approach though. Sanchez seems to do a good job laying off breaking balls in the dirt and getting himself into hitter’s counts. In fact, he’s gotten into a hitter friendly 2-0 or 3-1 count 32 times in his 80 plate appearances this year, or 40%, which is about league average. (That’s not counting the intentional walks). This is a kid who’s been an everyday player for less than a month, remember. Small sample size warnings and all that apply, obviously. It just seems like Sanchez really knows what he’s doing at the plate. The power is a product of that approach.

3. Brian McCann caught Tuesday night and that kinda throws a wrench into this theory, though I still wonder if his sudden move to DH is at least somewhat health related. Yes, of course the Yankees want to get Sanchez behind the plate, but before Tuesday night, Austin Romine had caught Sanchez’s previous two off-days. McCann is a warrior. We’ve seen the guy play through all sorts of injuries since he arrived in New York — earlier this season he had toe and elbow issues, and last year he had a knee problem so severe that he altered his batting stance — and maybe now he’s nursing something a little more serious than the typical day-to-day catcher stuff. Perhaps there’s some concern about a concussion? Either way, the Yankees are definitely saving some wear-and-tear on their veteran catcher by giving him so much time at DH. McCann probably hasn’t felt this good physically in late-August in a long time.

4. Aaron Judge‘s recent struggles — he’s in a 3-for-26 (.115) slump with 13 strikeouts — don’t concern me at all. Not yet. It’s way too soon for that. Do I wish he was mashing like Sanchez? Of course. But it’s not terribly surprising a guy his size is having some trouble in his first exposure to big league pitching. Judge had similar problems when he first got to Triple-A last year. This is why the Yankees called him up two weeks ago, to begin the adjustment period. It might take some time too. A few hundred plate appearances or so. We’ve already seen all the tools that make Judge such an impressive prospect. The huge power, the rocket arm, the surprising athleticism, all of that. He just needs to figure out how pitchers are approaching him and how to overcome his massive frame at the highest level. That’s hard!

Cessa. (Stephen Dunn/Getty)

5. So how about Luis Cessa and Chad Green? It looks like the Yankees might have something with those two. Even if they’re ultimately nothing more than relievers, that’s still a pretty nice haul for a good but not great reliever like Justin Wilson. I think Cessa has a better chance to start long-term than Green because he has more pitches and seems more willing to pitch inside, though I have no way to prove that last point. Point is, these two very clearly have big league caliber arms. They’re going to be in the Yankees’ plans going forward in some capacity, either starter or reliever. Getting two starters — even fourth of fifth starters, which is what these two profile as — out of that trade would be phenomenal. Guys like that are getting $10M a year as free agents. Given the state of the organization and their current needs, that trade looks better and better by the day.

6. Aaron Hicks in August: .303/.333/.455. It’s only 69 plate appearances, so let’s not go retiring his number yet, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence he picked up the pace offensively as soon as he started playing regularly. Hicks has been abysmal most of the season. Unforgivably awful. The Yankees very clearly believe in his talent though and they’re sticking with him. When you’re a rebuilding transitioning team, the last thing you do is give up on high-end athletes with loud tools after 200-something plate appearances in your uniform. The Twins are a disaster and they have a history of giving up on players only to watch them find success elsewhere. (Carlos Gomez, Danny Valencia, Wilson Ramos, and even Francisco Liriano jump to mind.) They deserve zero benefit of the doubt when it comes to evaluating talent. The Yankees, meanwhile, have been getting better at developing young players the last year or two. Hicks is without a doubt worth a longer look in my opinion. If nothing else, he’s playing himself into some more trade value for the offseason.

7. Two recent non-Yankee roster moves I didn’t like: Aaron Sanchez and Ryan Buchter being optioned to the minors. The Blue Jays sent Sanchez down to limit his innings and free up a roster spot for a few days. He’s expected to be called back up as soon as his ten days are up. The Padres said they sent Buchter down due to fatigue and used his declining spin rate (!) as evidence. Both guys were sent down for non-performance reasons and I hate that. Sanchez is going to get Cy Young votes! He deserves to be in the big leagues. Buchter has a 3.00 ERA (2.96 FIP) and has been San Diego’s best reliever all season. If he’s fatigued, he’s supposed to go on the DL, not Triple-A. The rules say the Blue Jays and Padres have the right to make those moves, but man, what an awful message to send. Two productive players who deserve to be in the show are losing service time and big league pay because it’s convenient to the team. There’s something to be said for rewarding performance and maintaining a positive relationship with your players. I’m glad the Yankees have never seemed overly concerned with service time. Regardless of the motives, sending Sanchez and Buchter down looks real bad.

Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge celebrates after hitting a home run in his first major-league at-bat during the second inning at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 13, 2016.

By Randy Miller

SEATTLE — It was only a couple weeks ago that the Yankees’ hottest rookie was the 6-foot-7 hulk they now have playing right field for them every day.

Before do-it-all catcher Gary Sanchez caught fire and starting looking like a young Mike Piazza, Aaron Judge was making the headlines by setting records by homering in his first two games and having extra-base hits in his first three.

Judge looked like a star in the making going 7-for-18 with two homers and four RBIs in his first five games.

Since, he’s 1-for-18 with three RBIs over his next five games, this mini slump dropping his average from a sizzling .389 to .222.

What’s the deal?

Judge still is having his share of quality at-bats although striking out a lot, but a lot of pitchers are using the same strategy to get him out.

“I’ve been getting the same thing since day one, even the minor leagues … curveballs, curveballs, off-speed,” Judge said Sunday before a 5-0 Yankees win over the Seattle Mariners. “It hasn’t changed.”

And it won’t change until Judge, a 24-year-old native Californian, makes them change.

Sunday was another tough at the plate Judge, who was 0-for-4 with a hit by pitch, run scored and three whiffs.

Once again, he had a diet of mostly slow curves and changeups.

“It’s just been something I’ve seen in the minor leagues and up in the major leagues since the first day,” Judge said.

That’s because Judge is a fastball killer.

“I think everybody’s a good fastball hitter,” he said. “I think the league average on the curveball is around .200, so it’s just part of the game. It’s all about adjustments. They’ll make adjustments, so I’ve got to make mine.”

Judge still is making ways to contribute.

On Sunday, he used his arm in the first inning Sunday to throw out Robinson Cano, who was trying to turn a single into a double, then scored a second-inning run after being hit.

The day before, Judge brought in a run in the Yankees’ 5-1 win with a flyball.

“For me, it’s all about quality at-bats,” Judge said. “The only stats I really look at are RBIs and runs. If I can go up there and drive in guys and touch home plate as many times as I can … I feel like I’m having some quality at-bats.”

Meantime, his average is dropping by the day.

“I think his at-bats have been good,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “It’s kind of what hitters go through. I look at (Tuesday) night. I thought he was patient. When we needed him to drive in a run, he drove in the run. He drove in a couple of runs in Anaheim (last weekend) when we were there; he got a big base-hit.

“I think his at-bats are good. Hits will come.”

Can Judge hit for a decent average as a big leaguer?

“I haven’t seen him enough to really make a decisive answer on that, but I think he’s going to hit,” Girardi said. “I do. I watch his approach. I watch his patience. He’s so strong that there’s balls that he misses (hitting square) that are probably going to be home runs … that sort of thing. So I think he’s going to hit.”

Yankees outfield prospect Clint Frazier talks to reporters at Coca-Cola Field in Allentown, Pa., before playing his first game for the organization on Aug. 2, 2016. Frazier played left field for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre against Lehigh Valley two days after being traded from Cleveland to the Yankees.

“Takes a while for a young player like him to come to a new organization, new teammates and a different way to do things in the clubhouse and on the field,” Pedrique said. “But, again, he has some tools, definitely.”

Hitless in his last 12 at-bats after going 0-for-4 on Tuesday, Frazier is hitting .222 with two homers and a .613 OPS since joining the Yankees.

It hasn’t all been bad, though. In the 10 games before his recent slump, he hit .311 with a double, a triple and a homer.

The last week or so, in particular, hasn’t been the easiest for Frazier. He knew two players when he joined the team after the deadline: first baseman Tyler Austin and reliever Ben Heller, who came over with him from Cleveland.

Austin got called up to the Yankees more than a week ago. Heller was summoned on Tuesday.

“So for me to kind of get out of my comfort zone and make friends with new people has been good for me. I’ve been with the Indians the last few years and I developed really good relationships over there and I see no reason I can’t do the same thing here,” Frazier said.

Tom Wilson, the Triple-A hitting coach, and Frazier have also been working on what Wilson has called “small adjustments” at the plate.

They came after Frazier joined the team and told the staff he’d been struggling a bit toward the end of his Indians tenure. In his final 14 games with Cleveland — nine at Double-A, five at Triple-A — Frazier had hit .175 with 20 strikeouts in 57 at-bats.

The two have worked specifically on keeping Frazier’s lower half back, which will allow him to make more consistently strong contact, Wilson said.

“It’s not a big deal,” Wilson said. “It will take some time and it’s gotten better every day so far. … He’s got some real talent. You can see right away why he was a first-round pick.”

He said changing organizations hasn’t been as easy as he thought, but that he’ll be fine.

“Yeah, for sure. It’s an adjustment period for me right now, both mentally and physically. So, the past few games, (Wilson) and I have really gone in there and worked on a few things (to) make me feel more comfortable and make me feel more relaxed mentally and physically. So I’m going out there and competing every at bat and trying to be the best player I can.”

Anthony Swarzak leans over after giving up a two-run home run to Ian Kinsler in the seventh inning as the New York Yankees host the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium. 6/12/16 Bronx.

By Ryan Hatch

NEW YORK — The Yankees placed right-handed reliever Anthony Swarzak on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday afternoon with what they’re calling right rotator cuff inflammation.

To replace him on the 25-man roster New York brought up righty Ben Heller from Triple-A.

Swarzak, who was called up to the Yankees in early June, has struggled of late. After holding opposing batters to a .194 average through his first 13 big league games this summer, Swarzak has a 9.00 ERA in his last 11.0 innings that dates to July 23. The seven-year big league vet allowed a huge three-run home run Monday night in the sixth inning against the Seattle Mariners that cost the Yankees the game. With under six weeks left in the season, Swarzak may have thrown his last pitch of the year for New York.

Heller, 25, hasn’t yet pitched in the big leagues. He was brought to the Yankees from the Cleveland Indians in the Andrew Miller trade last month and since pitching for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders he has a 1.42 ERA in six relief appearances.

Here’s more about Heller from the Yankees at the time of the trade:

Heller, 24, is 3-2 with 12 saves in 13 chances and a 1.73 ERA (41.2IP, 23H, 8ER, 12BB, 48K, 2HR) in 43 relief appearances this season at Triple-A Columbus (28G) and Double-A Akron (15G), holding batters to a combined .159 batting average with a 0.84 WHIP. He began the season ranked by Baseball America as having the “Best Fastball” in the Indians organization.

The Wisconsin native was drafted by Cleveland in the 22nd round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.). In 150 games (including one start) over four minor league seasons, Heller has a 9-8 record with 31saves and a 2.77 ERA (172.1IP, 53ER, 69BB, 6HR), having allowed just 122H while recording 226K with a .193 opponents batting average.